The Unwonted Latent Love Epic
by Rundiamhair
Summary: The LilyJames fic you've all been waiting for! More canon than ever! Sirius is not a freak! Peter is not a complete loser! There is actual character and relationship development! And you didn't think it was possible. Chapter 3 up!
1. Prologue

Prologue

Disclaimer: I am not JK Rowling. You have been misled. Go back and find a mind. No, seriously, this fic is what I like to think of as a combination of all the good parts of all the good fics. Therefore, my compliments go out to: drowning goldfish, Eihwaz and Lourdaise, duva (fictionalley . com), and xKonstantinex (despite the fact that you drive me crazy with your lack of updates). Please do not take offense if you see the same themes in here. Take is as a compliment and don't sue!

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I lived for one reason only – Lily Evans.

I hadn't always been in love with her. When we first met, in first year, I wasn't interested in girls yet. Besides, we never talked. Around fourth year, however, I came to the startling revelation that she was the most beautiful girl alive. She had this blinding red hair, astonishingly bright green eyes, full red lips, a great figure (though her school uniform did nothing to compliment it), and perfectly flawless skin. A bit superficial, I know, but you're reading into it wrong. That's not when I fell in love with her. By this time I had gone out with enough pretty, but dumb and boring, girls that I knew to be cautious. So I set myself to finding out more about her – her likes, dislikes, hopes, fears, loves, hates, and of course, her personality. Naturally, it helped that I was on the quidditch team with one of her best friends and that she was a prefect with one of my best friends. Plus my skills at eavesdropping and observation really came in handy.

So I started to get a grasp on what she was like. She was always there to help someone out with their charms, and never stereotyped anyone, not even Slytherins! She stood up for people, was nice to everyone, and, surprisingly enough, actually made me work for my grades sometimes. Above all, it was her kindness towards others and the way her temper flared at injustice that drew me to her. And after all this, I realized not only was she drop-dead gorgeous, but she also had the best personality I had ever seen in a girl. Obviously, she was the girl for me.

Unfortunately there was the little problem of how she didn't seem to know I existed. Obviously I had to do _something_ to get her to notice me. Honestly, here I was, quidditch star, prankster extraordinaire, with any girl in school willing to ask me out, and she _wasn't_ begging me for a chance? I was fourteen – what was I supposed to have done?

So in the early part of fifth year I asked her out. ...And she turned me down.

My mind reeled, and I think that sudden act of independence coming from her is what threw me over from schoolboy crush to full-blown love. This just didn't happen to James Potter. I mean, I was _James Potter_ – pureblood, from a rich family, sure to get the quidditch captainship, one of the most popular guys at Hogwarts, with girls all over me.

So naturally I had to pick the _one_ that wasn't.

But then I realized that all I had to do was _make_ her want me. And so I did was any other hot-blooded fifteen-year-old wizard would've done. I got her to notice me. My friends and I pulled even more exuberant stunts and pranks. I brought attention to myself in any way I possibly could, and fed off my popularity as a chaser of the Gryffindor quidditch team. Really, there was no way that she couldn't have noticed me. But apparently I wasn't what she wanted, because when I kept asking, she kept saying no. And usually, these rejections were accompanied by an insult or two.

I can admit she was right about a few things. Okay, she was right about _most_ things. I was immature, egotistical, spoiled, and I was a bit harsh on the Slytherins. But I didn't attack the helpless for my own amusement, I wasn't promiscuous, and I wasn't _that_ big of a git. Not that she made these distinctions.

After spending the entire year asking her out and failing, embarrassing myself a whole lot in the process, I realized something was wrong. At first I thought it was her – everyone else in the school seemed to like me, right? But they all seemed to like Lily too – and for more appealing reasons than they did me. I leveled with myself and considered that maybe it was me. Maybe I was all those things she claimed I was (well, most of them anyway). Mainly I figured it was my approach. Clearly making a big deal about myself to enrapture her attention was not the way to go – she seemed to think it made me full of myself. So it became obvious that new tactics had to be used. I would have to get her to see the good in me. _She_ would have to come to _me_. Above all, I had to stop asking her out.

I was coming up on sixth year and, besides, we all have to mature someday, right?

Then during the summer, I got a huge jolt of maturity hitting me all at once. The dark wizard, Lord Voldemort, had been attacking all over wizarding Britain. The extent of this didn't really hit me until halfway through the summer – when he and his followers, the Death Eaters, murdered my aunt, uncle, and cousin Riona in cold blood. Riona was probably the closest person to me, apart from my friends. I now saw that there were bigger things out there than whether or not Lily Evans would go out with me. Voldemort was no longer some tragedy happening to other people. I knew that I had to concentrate on doing something with my life in order to be ready to deal with Voldemort if he ever got it into his twisted head to come after me. It was then that I decided that I wanted to be an Auror, just like my parents. It was time for me to grow up.

These revelations were by no means shared amongst my freedom-and-prank-loving friends. In fact, I'd wager they were met with extreme resistance. Speaking of which...

My friends and I were part of an elite group of pranksters, self-dubbed The Marauders. I suppose I could be considered the leader, but only if Sirius could be considered my co-leader.

Sirius Black was my best friend, and had been since our first time on the Hogwarts Express. We were the original marauders, and we always were the ones taking the most risks, and doing the most obtrusive and noteworthy jobs. He was the eldest son of a notorious pureblood family, known for its enthusiasm for the dark arts and disdain for those with muggle origins. Sirius (along with his cousin Andromeda) was the only ones in the family who didn't abide by this code. To say the least, he wasn't on very good terms with his parents or his brother, Regulus. In fact, during the summer Sirius showed up on our doorstep on a fiercely rainy day, dragging his trunk and what looked like most of his belongings and mumbling something about a family spat. He refused to go home, and eventually my mum gave in and let him stay with us. We were as close as brothers as it was anyway.

Sirius was just as popular as I was, maybe even more so in the female department. He was a beater on the quidditch team, and had more charm and shorter relationships than I. Whenever he walked into the room the girls all swooned, and don't think for a second he wasn't aware of it. He had this haircut that made him all at once look laid back and alluring (which is to say, that's what I've been told), dark eyes, and an all around handsome air that I could never hope to achieve. Sirius was, above all else, an extremely complex person. He was hilarious at times, extremely angry and moody at others. He has always been there for me and I have never met anyone more loyal, though at times he can get caught up in his emotions and be a bit irrational. In short, Sirius is the kind of guy that you love or hate. And most people loved him.

Peter Pettigrew was another of my friends, and he was like a little brother to Sirius and me. He was short and rather pudgy, with brown hair and watery-looking eyes. He wasn't up to the level in classes that the rest of the marauders were, so I was often helping him. It wasn't that he was dumb or anything – he just had trouble getting the concepts at first, but once he knew it he knew it for life. I suppose next to Sirius and me he seemed much dimmer, but we always set straight anyone who dared to say it within our hearing range. As far as pranks went, he seemed to have an affiliation for the sneaky, sly, undercover jobs, which suited the rest of us just fine. Peter was fiercely loyal to us, which never was a cause for me to complain.

Last but not least was Remus Lupin. Remus was a little shorter than me, with sandy brown hair and deep brown eyes. He was the planner of our pranks, though many times he went with us to oversee that we executed his painstakingly wrought plans correctly. Somehow the teachers and Dumbledore thought he didn't take part in our pranks, and made him a prefect. I can only assume that it was meant to cause him to be a good influence on us, and he did tell us off when we went too far with our Slytherin baiting. He was extremely shy, formal, and polite to people, which stood out at odds with Sirius and me. Even still, while many were a bit wary of him, he managed to still be extremely popular, and could've had as many girlfriends as Sirius and I, if only he wasn't a romantic who was in for the long haul. He didn't usually get close to people, which brings up the most interesting part of not only Remus, but also the entire marauder group.

Remus was a werewolf. He'd gotten bitten when he was really young, and when we became friends he worked hard to hide it from us. However, in second year we finally worked out that he wasn't leaving during the full moon to visit his sick mother and, rather than abandon him like he thought we would, we decided to help him. So we did the only conceivable thing to do in a situation like that: we became Animagi. It took us until the beginning of fifth year to do it, but we finally managed it. We even had nicknames for each other. I, a stag, was "Prongs," Sirius, a dog, was "Padfoot," Peter, a rat, was "Wormtail," and Remus was "Moony." During this same time, we made our greatest creation to date: the marauders map. Not only did it map out all our knowledge of the school, but also every person in the school. That, coupled with my invisibility cloak, made our pranks virtually unstoppable, and the four of us inseparable.

As I stood there on Platform 9 ¾, only half-listening to Sirius ramble on about this girl and that one, I thought about how much I had changed since I last was here. This was going to be my year - I could feel it. The pranks would be better, but I wasn't going to lose myself in them. I had a new perspective on life, and a new way to approach a certain unapproachable redhead. It was all going to work out. I'd have the girl, friends, fun, and I'd be on the right track in life.

I was startled out of my reverie by Sirius shouting that he'd seen Remus and Peter, and my mind focused on the present as I was thrust into the bustling crowd, faintly hoping to see a flash of red hair. Another year, and this was going to be the one when it all finally worked out for me.

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A/N: Thanks to: my beta, **Meliara **(Cassondra L), for helping me with organizing all my thoughts and checking over this chapter (hopefully you won't anonymously review that my "story is stupid as all hell" AGAIN), and to **Jackie**, for her skill with synonyms and grammar. 


	2. New Man, New Approach

Chapter 1 – New Man, New Approach

Disclaimer: I'm still not JK Rowling. Wouldn't it be cool if she posted a something on here? Oh wow, that would be so sly! I'd do it. But I'm not her. Still.

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"I see them, James. Come on," Sirius called out. James jumped as though startled and quickly followed him over to the other half of the marauders.

Peter and Remus had apparently seen them too, because they started walking toward them. "Hey," Remus called, slightly out of breath. "Sorry. I was waiting for Wormtail and couldn't find him."

"It's not my fault!" Peter interjected. "If it wasn't for my stupid cousin Cole I would've been on time."

The other three traded dark looks. "He's been bothering you again?" Sirius asked, sounding angry. He had been on edge about anything and anyone to do with the dark arts since running away from home.

"He was just asking how my summer was. Actually, it seemed more like an interrogation. I just got the impression he was kind of... spying."

"Well, you'd be the one to know, eh Wormtail?" Peter grinned mischievously. "He was probably just making sure you weren't going to get in the way of him joining Voldemort's forces." Peter visibly flinched, though the other three didn't.

"So, Prongs," Remus taunted, "We saw Evans back along the platform. She was looking for you."

"She – what!?" James suddenly started looking around frantically for her while the other three burst out laughing. James began to look sheepish and said indignantly, "You know, one day that phrase won't be so funny," which just caused the laughter to increase.

"Sure, Jim. And just how are you planning to manage that?" Sirius asked dubiously, trying not to laugh while Remus and Peter smirked.

"You just watch. This is going to be the year. I'm a new man with a new approach." Unable to hold it in any longer, the others laughed.

"You coin that phrase yourself, James?" Peter giggled, causing more laughs and a frown from James.

"You laugh now, but this plan is foolproof."

"Good, because that's just what it needs," Sirius goaded.

James' frown deepened. "You know-" but he was interrupted by Remus.

"Here's your chance, Prongs: Evans is coming this way. Let's see this 'new approach' of yours."

The response from James was immediate. His frown completely disappeared, covered up by a suave look. He raked a nervous hand through his hair, making it, amazingly enough, even messier than it was already. As the girl in question walked by, he said in a strong, mature voice, "Alright there, Lily?"

Lily Evans naturally smiled at the sound of someone greeting her, but her looked darkened when she saw who had voiced it. She looked at James with something like revulsion and continued along her path toward the train.

James glared at her back and shouted out "Yeah, I had a GREAT summer too!" Lily's ears turned red, though whether from anger or embarrassment, James couldn't tell. He immediately regretted his words. For some reason he just couldn't control what came out of his mouth or what his body did when that girl was around. He brought his concentration back to those around him at the sound of his friends hysterically laughing.

"So much for the new approach, huh Prongs?" Remus laughed, while holding his stomach.

James glared at the boys making fools of themselves. "Yeah... well... next time. That was just practice." At what sounded like a louder and more violent flood of laughter, he added "Lets just get on the train already."

As the group of four walked toward the train, Sirius put is arm around James and said consolingly, "It's just a bout of bad luck, Prongs. Don't let Evans get you down. She'll come around eventually. How could she possibly resist?" he added as he flashed a handsome grin to a giggling group of fourth years.

James smiled weakly, completely missing the attention the girls were now giving him. "Yeah... I mean, this new plan. She won't be able to withstand my charm, I'm telling you. You're right, she'll come around." He nodded once, though it seemed to be directed more toward assuring himself, rather than Sirius or the others.

By this point they had reached the train, and Remus turned around and announced he had to head to the prefects' compartment, to which Peter replied, "Want some dungbombs to take with you? I think I've got a few extra that we're not using during the feast..."

Remus flashed him a grin and began to walk toward the other end of the train. "Nah, don't think it would look very prefect of me to be setting off dungbombs during the meeting. Good idea though. See you later!" With that he waved, turning just ever so slightly as to convince the same group of fourth years that he was waving to them.

"Come on, let's get on the train. We've got things to plan," announced James.

Sirius gave him an amused, but knowing, look. "More like pranks, you mean. Come on, Wormtail, let's find an empty compartment."

They spent about five minutes searching for a free compartment, all the time chatting with other students. Sirius, not surprisingly, held up the search due to apparent need to flirt with every girl who passed his way.

They met Frank Longbottom, their other dorm mate, and discussed what O.W.L.s they had gotten and what classes they were taking this year. With him were Lily's three friends: Marlene McKinnon, Alice Prewett, and Adele Meadowes. They didn't linger long however, because while Marlene was a friend of James' and Alice was nice to everyone, Adele seemed to have some menacing resentment toward the marauders.

Peter had just announced that he'd found an empty compartment, and James and Sirius were heading toward him, when they suddenly collided with someone going the opposite way.

"Sorry-" James started, looking up, then cutting himself short when he realized who it was he had bumped into.

Severus Snape jumped up quickly, pulling out his wand and pointing it at the two boys still on the floor as he did so. James and Sirius, not wanting to be vulnerable to any curses, immediately followed suit.

"_Snivellus_," Sirius spit out.

"Black. Potter. Enjoying yourselves on the floor?"

"Just trying to wipe off the grease you left," James said harshly.

All three simultaneously raised their wands, about to curse each other, when an angry voice rang out.

"What do you think you're doing!?" At the sound of Lily's voice, James immediately put his wand down and put a hand through his hair. He felt a sinking feeling in his stomach, as though all his chances with Lily were dashed away all at once. He tried to look as though he wasn't part of the situation, but he was failing miserably.

"Deciding the best way to clean Snape's hair, what does it look like?" replied Sirius, not lowering his wand nor taking his eyes off Snape.

"This train isn't a dueling platform! Put away your wands!"

"Who asked you to order us around, Mudblood?" Snape growled.

"Professor Dumbledore did, when he made me a prefect, Snape," Lily said coolly. "As for you two," she continued, turning to Sirius and James, who, for his part, looked stricken, "I thought over the summer you would've at least learned the _definition_ of maturity!"

Sirius was still watching Snape, completely ignoring Lily by this time. "So, Snape, how does it feel to have a _girl_ defend you?"

Snape was about to let out a scathing reply when James grabbed his arm and said quietly, "Come on, Padfoot. He's not worth it." James pulled Sirius into the compartment and, with a last guilty glance at Lily, closed the door.

Inside, Sirius was seething and Peter was looking at him fearfully. "What the hell was that about, Prongs!?" Sirius yelled.

"What do you mean?" James asked, wondering why he was being yelled at again for the second time that day.

"'He's not worth it, Padfoot.' What are you playing at? Since when have you ever backed down from _Snivellus_?!"

"Look, I just... there are more important things," James replied, implying Voldemort, but thinking about not only Voldemort, but also Lily.

"Like _Lily Evans_?" Sirius said spitefully.

"What exactly are you implying?" James asked, his own temper rising, knowing, but too embarrassed to admit, that Sirius was right.

"Oh come on! I saw the way you looked at her. You didn't mean Snape isn't worth our time, you meant he's not worth being on bad terms with Evans! Why can't you just get _over_ her?"

"You wouldn't understand. It's more than what you think."

"Wha-"

"Isn't one of her friends on the quidditch team?" Peter interjected tactfully. As James and Sirius turned to goggle at him, their anger seemed to dissipate and they sat down.

"Yeah... yeah, Marlene McKinnon, our keeper."

"She's good. I think we've got a right good chance at keeping the cup this year." Sirius and James shared a look, a silent agreement that they'd let the squabble go. They both knew it was pointless and that they shouldn't threaten their friendship with petty spats like this one.

"Who do you think will be captain this year?" Peter asked, more concerned with distracting them with conversation than what was actually said.

"We all know it's old Prongsie here. McGonagall wouldn't choose anyone else."

"Aww, well, we don't know that for sure..." James said, trailing off.

"Please. Minnie loves you! Every time you touch the quaffle her eyes bug out!" The three of them laughed at the picture of Professor McGonagall in love with James.

All thoughts of a squabble were forgotten as they chatted about the quidditch lineup this season, the current girl Sirius was interested in, and whether or not Peter was currently cheating at Exploding Snap (which he denied).

After an hour or so, Remus finally returned from the meeting and making the rounds. As soon as the door was closed, the mood of the compartment switched from easy-going to a covert excitement.

"Alright Moony, now that you're here, lets go over the plans for the feast one more time..."

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A/N: You are all mystified by my abilities to update. Don't count on it happening this often. With any luck, however, my beta, the lovely **Meliara**, will keep me in an updating frenzy. Hope you like it, and just so you know, this is the style that the entire fanfic will be in (third-person James). And Adele is Dorcas' sister. I refuse to make a person named Dorcas a main character. It's just not happening. In other news, **Jackie**, I worship and I'll see you in...22 hours!

**Meliara:** Yes, as you can see I fixed your name. You are so anal. OMG how cool would it be if everyone knew who I was and was all "Oh man check out her cool canon LJ fanfic!!!!" Oh it's going to happen, I can feel it. This is our big break, Mel. Screw the band, it's all about the fanfiction!!!

**Kelliethehottie:** Thanks!! I'm glad you liked the summary. Thank goodness it is actually catching people's attention. TELL ALL YOUR FRIENDS!!! Thank you for the favorite add too! 3


	3. Call It Obsession

Chapter 2 - Call It Obsession

Disclaimer: As though I would have the money to pay you, even if you did sue. Why do I bother putting these up here, it's obvious I'm not JK Rowling.

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The four boys walked off of the train, looking incredibly smug and impishly glanced over at the Slytherins walking by. They exchanged mischievous looks with each other and grinned. 

"Remus, you've got all your supplies?" Sirius asked in a whisper.

"Yeah. Everyone know who they're going for?" he replied, equally secretive.

"Aren't these the same people we jinxed at the end of the year feast?" Peter asked in a perplexed voice.

"Pete, Pete, Pete. It's not 'jinxed,' Nothing we do is worthy of so trite a description. We are 'pranking.' Or, if you prefer, 'marauding.'" James chimed in sagely. He would've said more, but a flash of red suddenly caught his eye (which was saying something, since half the people around him were wearing Gryffindor colors).

Lily was half-heartedly directing traffic while describing the events on the train with her three friends.

"…And then, if you please," she was saying angrily, "he says 'Let's go, it's not _worth_ it.' Can you believe his nerve!?"

"Well, Lily, perhaps he simply meant that he didn't want to get in trouble for cursing someone," Alice said in a level tone. At the look on Lily's face, however, she added, "Although it's just as possible that he meant you weren't worth the time of day, I'm sure."

"How does that make sense, when James has been pining after Lily all this time?" asked Marlene, her eyebrows raised.

"Oh come on! It's obvious to everyone he doesn't even mean what he says! Besides, who would care if he even did like Lily? He's no good." Adele glared at Marlene and Alice, as if daring them to try to rebut her words.

As Lily was nodding her agreement, he eyes suddenly found the student in question, who had been staring at her and now smiled in her direction. It was obvious to Lily that this smile was meant to make her go weak at the knees, but the only effect it had was to provoke a glare.

James sighed as he saw Lily scowling at him. His eyes passed onto the three girls next to her. Alice was saying something to Lily, but Marlene smiled and waved to him in a friendly manner. The other girl, Adele, snatched Marlene's hand down out of the air and shot the two of them a glare far surpassing Lily's own.

When James turned back to his friends, he found them all looking at him with amused faces.

"Maybe you should go for Marlene, James. She doesn't seem so… averse toward you," Peter commented, trying and failing to keep a straight face.

"Now, now. We all know that she's for Sirius," Remus said as they climbed into an empty carriage. Sirius sighed dramatically.

"How many times do I have to tell you gits? I have no interest in her that isn't purely platonic, and even that interest goes no farther than Quidditch. Now, Emmeline Vance… well, that's a different story."

"Planning on asking her out, Padfoot?" James inquired, relieved that the conversation had turned from him.

"I might," Sirius said evasively, with a small smile on his face. "You think she'll go for me?" he added, causing the others to laugh.

"Yeah, like she's really going to turn _you_ down. You've got half of Hogwarts wishing they could get a drink of your _sweat_," Peter said, grinning.

"Sure you don't want a chance with her before I make my move, Prongs? Give you someone new to obsess about?" Sirius teased, getting a withering look from James.

"I do not obsess. And no thanks, she's not really my type," he replied loftily, though his proud demeanor disappeared as his friends burst out into laughter. "What? I don't obsess!"

"James, sorry to tell you this, mate, but if your approach to Lily Evans could ever be called anything, it would be obsessive," Remus choked out between laughs.

"Well… shows what you know." James' inadequate reply only made them laugh harder, causing him to get out of the carriage in a huff.

As he stood there waiting for his friends to follow, he glanced about. The castle loomed above him, and students were milling about, meeting up with friends and heading toward the Great Hall and food. Looking at all of the commotion around him, James felt a rush of optimism toward the forthcoming year.

"Guys," he called to the other three, who were finally out of the carriage and over laughing at James' expense. They started walking toward the doors. "This is gonna be our year, I'm telling you."

Sirius stopped suddenly and slowly, as though it was painful for him to do so, turned his head until he was looking over at James. "James. You tell us that _every_ year." Remus and Peter snorted with laughter.

"And every year I'm right!" he said indignantly.

"Yeah, except for the one when we all got more detentions than the rest of the student body combined." Peter said.

"Actually, in James' defense, I would say that was our best year," Remus said, grinning.

"Mr. Potter!" called an intimidating voice. All four boys cringed. "Mr. Potter, I need to speak with you."

"But, Professor McGonagall, we haven't _done_ anything yet!" Peter moaned.

McGonagall raised her eyebrows at him, then looked expectantly at James.

"Go on, I'll catch up with you later," James called, wondering what it was he was in trouble for now. He tried to think back to whether or not he had been punished for everything he'd done in the last week of school.

Lily saw Professor McGonagall take James aside and smiled inwardly. She hoped he was getting punished for the incessant stream of pranks he had pulled the last week of fifth year. It was high time that he had to face the repercussions of what he had done.

"Mr. Potter, as you know we lost our Quidditch captain, Arthur Weasley, over the summer. I'm appointing you the new Gryffindor captain," she announced warmly, holding out a gleaming badge out to him. It was gold, with a red lion and the letters Q.C. on it. "Tryouts are in two weeks, on Tuesday. Make sure we've got a good team this year. If I have to give up that Quidditch Cup I'll give you a month of detention."

James grinned, taking the badge from her. "Aww, Professor, you know I'd never let you down!"

James swore he saw amusement in her eyes. "Sadly enough, this is the one time I believe you. Now get to the Great Hall. Remember, tryouts: Tuesday in two weeks." She turned away to head down to greet the first years.

"Thanks, Professor!" he called as he joined the last of the stragglers into the Great Hall. Sirius, Remus, and Peter looked up expectantly when he joined them. Without a word he held up the Quidditch captain badge and grinned.

"Brilliant!" Sirius exclaimed.

"Here we were thinking she was going to yell at you about our last week last year!" Peter said, looking relieved.

"Nice one, James. Though it hasn't really come as a surprise, has it?" Remus commented with an amused glint in his eyes.

"No, I suppose not," James conceded, knowing his ego was getting bigger and bigger as he pinned on the badge to the front of his robes. "Although, I think McGonagall would've given me a lecture if she hadn't had to get to the first years." Sirius groaned.

"Why can't the Sorting be _after_ food?" he whined as McGonagall opened the doors and led in the new group of first years.

All throughout the Sorting Sirius looked despairingly at his empty plate, and James swore that he heard Sirius' stomach rumbling in between the names of students and Houses.

Finally, after "Zinfandel, Claire" had been sorted into Ravenclaw, Dumbledore stood up.

"Welcome to another year at Hogwarts! Now, to appease your starving bellies-" he looked knowingly at Sirius, "-dig in!" As the Headmaster spread his arms wide food appeared on the tables and Sirius let out a whoop.

The four marauders tucked into their dinners at breakneck speed, scarcely finishing chewing one things before staring on another. All this time they managed to keep an ongoing conversation up with Edgar Bones another Gryffindor Chaser, who stopped by to congratulate James on his captainship and stayed to talk about the prospect of acquiring the Quidditch Cup for the fifth year in a row.

After all four had finished eating and they'd spent a moment grinning roguishly at each other, the all nodded to each other, took out their wands, and looked over at the Slytherin table.

The table in question exploded with confetti emitting deep whirs as Bellatrix, Narcissa, and Regulus Black, Rodulphus and Rabastan Lestrange, Severus Snape, Evan Rosier, and Walden Macnair were covered in red and gold, including their hair. Bellatrix Black was screeching at the top of her lungs as the other Slytherins surrounding her were trying not to look amused.

The Great Hall erupted into laughter as the eight afflicted Slytherins and the teachers tried to discover who the culprits were and the marauders tried to look innocent.

Looking around, James noticed Lily laughing along with the rest of the Gryffindors, Ravenclaws, and Hufflepuffs. He figured, however, that she was laughing more at the joke than at who it was aimed toward.

Then, in one split second, their laughing eyes met and James found he could no longer breathe.

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Oh holy crap what a great ending! Sorry for the wait (well, sorry to my beta for the wait). If you didn't already realize, my Keladry fic has been updated (amazing, I know). This was going to be updated earlier today, but then I had this whole breakdown dealie with my father not coming to my choir concert. Anyway. Next chapter should be coming out soon, seeing as how I have the plot outline all ready and everything. 

I am planning on going back and revising the previous chapters sometime soon. Nothing major, just fixing mistakes and adding details. A bit of Lily's POV will be added to chapter 1, so go back and read it when I've done it. Thanks again to my beta, **Mel**, and my proofreader, **Jackie** (you've been upgraded!). I 3 you!

**Ermengarde:** It is true.

**Skye Rengarde:** Thanks! That's what I was hoping people would say. And my friend has heard of this musical you speak of. It's my betas fault - I was all prepared to use Dorcas' name.

**Laura Kate:** Thank you for the review, you bombastic puny upchuck inspiring butt-licking puke stick. I think I got that backwards. Anyway, any review is fine with me (as long as it's nice), so feel free to keep reviewing. Also: shuttup.

**Crystaltambaia:** I did try to avoid those nasty grammatical and spelling errors. And don't worry, there will be plenty of drama to sustain you through an extra year. Mwahahaha. My beta is a genius, I tell you. Keep reading!


	4. Today Will Shape Tomorrow

Chapter 3 - Today Will Shape Tomorrow

Disclaimer: While I am super cool, I am not JK Rowling. If you are dumb enough to think I am, please shoot yourself. Also, snatches of Dumbledore's speech are from LOTR (and the "wise man" he quotes is Gandalf). Oh_ I_ should shoot _myself_.

* * *

James smiled upon seeing her there, laughing and smiling as though she had no care in the world, as though she didn't utterly despise him. 

Lily had turned her head slightly to share her laughter with Alice sitting next to her. Out of the corner of her eye she saw James Potter, his laughter showing in his eyes, while his face remained solemn as he stared at her. For a moment she forgot that she hated him, that he was an utter git, and looked right back at him. Then she recalled exactly where she was and what he was. Her smile faded and she looked down at her empty plate, frowning.

After another moment, during which the student body began to gain control of itself, Dumbledore stood up. He waved his wand in the direction of the Slytherin table and the eight red- and gold-colored students returned to their natural appearances. He held up his hand for silence and slowly the laughter in the Great Hall receded and everyone turned their attention to the Headmaster.

"Yes, yes, very exciting, I know, but before I can allow you to return to your dormitories there are some start of term notices that I would like to make. All years are reminded that the Forbidden Forest is, as its name implies, forbidden." He winked at the marauders. "Our caretaker would like to mention that the list of banned items has been updated and the list now hangs on Mr. Stime's door. I'd also like to congratulate Dorcas Meadowes of Gryffindor and Sebastian Braddock of Slytherin for making Head Girl and Boy. Finally, Quidditch tryouts are to be held in two weeks; please see your House captain for more details." James puffed out his chest.

"Lastly, I have something of a more personal matter to say to you all. The dark lord, Voldemort-" Teachers and student flinched. James noted that only he, Sirius, Remus, Dumbledore, and Lily did not. "-has been gaining more and more power as of late. Perhaps some of you think to join him, whether because you agree with his policies or because you believe there to be no other way, but there is always a way. There is always some good left in the world, and it is always worth fighting for.

"Do not feel that you are alone in your struggle against Voldemort. I encourage all of you to band together to fight this evil. For only when we are united will be able to flout him. For the rest of you: do not think that this war will not affect you; it affects us all. It takes but one side to kill, and even those without wands can still die upon them. Voldemort is testing us. He tests our abilities, strengths, weaknesses, and above all, our convictions and alliances. Now is the time when you will discover who you are, and who you will be.

"I will not tell you not to fear what may happen - it is a natural thing to feel. But it is not so complicated as you would believe. A wise man once said, 'All you have to decide is what to do with the time that is given to you.' If you decide to stand against Voldemort, you will find yourself facing greater terror and evil than you could ever imagine. But you must be strong, you must never give up, and always stand up for what you believe in. Terrors such as Voldemort must be faced, because what we do today will shape tomorrow.

"I leave you with these thoughts to sleep to. I pray that if you have any questions at all, you will feel free to come to my office." With that Dumbledore nodded and sat down again. The students began moving toward their dormitories as McGonagall stood up.

"Misters Black, Potter, Lupin, and Pettigrew?" The four boys in question grinned at each other and stayed back as McGonagall came up to them, half seething.

"You will each serve a detention with Professor Arnest this week on _separate_ days. Also, five points from Gryffindor will be taken from each of you. I had hoped this behavior would have died out over the course of the summer."

"Aww, come on Professor. Think of how boring life would be if it had!" Sirius grinned at her.

McGonagall scoffed and strode away with a, "Get up to the tower."

"Well, I think that went rather well," Remus commented as they strode through the now almost deserted corridors.

Sirius let out a bark of laughter. "Did you see Bellatrix? She was screaming like a banshee! Mind you, I've always thought of her as one…" The others laughed.

"Snape was glaring at us the whole time. He was probably upset that the coloring didn't accent the grease in his hair enough," James commented, causing more laughter to erupt.

"You know, James, Lily looked like she was amused…" Peter teased.

"Oh he knows," Remus laughed. "He was staring at her the whole time. Until she realized what he was doing and stopped laughing."

"What you lot fail to realize," James said in a dignified voice, "Is that when she turned away, she didn't glare at me!"

"Is this supposed to signify something?" Sirius asked, genuinely perplexed.

"Isn't it obvious?" They stared at James. "I'm making progress!"

"Because she didn't glare at you?" Peter asked.

"Exactly."

After looking at him for a moment longer, the three shook their heads, said the password Remus had told them, and strode into the common room.

Almost everyone was either talking about the prank or Dumbledore's speech. As Sirius and Peter sat down to a game of chess (Sirius was already losing), Frank and Edgar came over to talk to them.

"Nice job on the Slytherins there. That beats even last year's!" Edgar exclaimed.

"Yeah, even Alice thought it was funny," Frank put in. James' head shot up at this.

"What about Lily? I saw her laughing; did she feel the same way?" he asked quickly.

"Well," Frank began, sitting down next to them, "She was amused, that's for sure, but it's sort of complicated. It was more like she thought the prank itself was funny, but she didn't like how selectively it was placed."

"Or whom it came from, I imagine," put in Edgar as Frank nodded.

"So, what, she would've liked it more if all the Slytherins had been pranked?" James cried out indignantly.

"Well, that probably still would've pissed her off. If you had done it to _everyone_ in the Great Hall, she might've approved. Well, maybe not the teachers." Frank grinned while James looked contemplative.

"Well, better luck next time, mate," Sirius said.

"I keep telling you, I'm making progress!" Everyone laughed.

"Anyway, Frank and I are going to head up to bed. We want to be well-rested in case we've got Double Potions tomorrow." All six boys grimaced as Frank and Edgar left.

As soon as they were relatively alone in their corner of the common room and Sirius had lost to Peter twice, Remus said, "Interesting speech of Dumbledore's this year, wouldn't you say?"

"Did you catch the part about how we should band together? Good luck getting the Slytherins to come around to that idea," Sirius said, leaning back in his chair and eyeing his defeated chess pieces with disgust.

"Maybe some of them would if we didn't alienate them so much," James said quietly, studying Sirius carefully.

Sirius narrowed his eyes. "You sound like Evans now. You've really got a jones for her, haven't you?"

"This isn't about Evans at all, Padfoot. It's about Voldemort-" Peter jumped, "-and I'm trying to be mature."

"Since when are you worried about maturity? Dumbledore was just saying that for us to keep in mind when we graduate."

"I think James is right," Remus piped up. "Even if Voldemort - oh for goodness sake Wormtail! - even if he doesn't directly effect us here, you can bet that certain Slytherins are thinking about joining him."

"Well, why should we make efforts to get them on our side then?" Sirius began angrily.

"Not necessarily on our side, Sirius. Just not on his."

Peter nodded. "Besides, hasn't You-Know-Who been reported to be expanding his numbers?"

James said resignedly, "Yeah. Dad's been working overtime a lot lately. He says that it's becoming a huge problem. Before we left for the station he warned me to look out for anyone who seemed suspicious and to report it straight away to Dumbledore."

"Oh yeah? How's the Ministry holding up these days? With attacks on the rise and all that?" Remus asked.

James shrugged. "I know the Auror department is having a tough time. They haven't got the manpower to deal with all the Death Eater attacks. I told my dad I wanted to join up and he nearly had a heart attack."

Sirius laughed. "You should've seen him. His eyes bugged out and everything. I thought he was going to keel over when I said I was going to also."

"So you guys are both going to be Aurors?" Peter asked, looking a little worried.

Sirius and James looked at each other. "Yeah, we are," Sirius said, turning back to Peter and Remus. "I figure we're going to have to deal with them in one way or another, like Dumbledore said. We might as well be in the thick of it and at least do some good while we're at it." Remus nodded but said nothing. They all knew it would be hard for him to get a job, given his condition.

"Mom said she didn't want us to become targets too. I told her we already were. And besides, I'm used to it. We've been hiding out ever since Voldemort came to power. It'd feel weird if I wasn't constantly looking over my shoulder," James joked.

"She's afraid we'll end up like your aunt and uncle," Sirius said quietly.

"That was different. I mean, they weren't on Voldemort's high priority list. Dad says it was probably just because they were close to us. Which makes me worried about anyone else who gets close to me," he looked significantly at Remus and Peter.

There was a small pause until Remus asked tactfully, "Have you heard any specifics about what the Aurors have been doing?"

The next hour was spent with James telling everyone the information he had managed to garner from his parents, with Sirius piping in with what he'd heard every now and then.

At around eleven they all agreed that it was time for bed. There were only one or two other groups still up, and they wanted to be awake for their N.E.W.T. classes in the morning.

After crawling into bed and closing the hangings of his four-poster, James lay awake thinking over the day. He didn't know what was wrong with his friends - he was sure that Lily's disposition toward him had improved. While she wasn't about to jump into his arms, at least he had shown himself in a more positive light (he hoped).

Sirius wasn't angry with him, he knew. He was just a little offended by James' sudden maturity and blamed it on Evans, though that was to be expected. He was glad that Remus had allied with him. He had already been planning on asking Remus for advice. Peter was… well, Peter. He bent with the wind and would support James no matter what he did.

As he fell asleep, James had a boisterous feeling in the pit of his stomach - this _was_ going to be his year.

* * *

Oh man I am so good. You love the fact that I update quickly. However, there are concerns. WHAT IS WITH THIS LACK OF REVIEWS?!?!? I am disappointed in you people. Don't you realize that reviews make me update faster? Honestly, what other fanfic could you be reading and reviewing instead of this one? 

I have good news. Last night I thought up this GENIUS plan for a part of the fanfic. It kills FOUR birds with one stone. Oh goodness gracious it is so amazing. My beta is stupefied it is so great. Dahahahahah.

Seriously though, I would like to hear what you have to say, even if it's just a simple "Nice story." It makes my day. And gets my writing juices flowing! ::hint hint:: REVIEW!!!!

**Laura Kate:** Maybe you should shut up. What is this "sexually ambiguous" WTF? What a crazy guy. You know your mother told me I should bring a guitar and "a cute guy" to your birthday party. How insane is she? You know, I actually put a lot of thought into the disclaimers. Not so much on these things, unless they're to other people. Hahahaha, when my job starts I'll be playing DDR all the more. How how lovely. Playing DDR at 12 AM. I cannot wait. I totally remember that episode!!! That was so great! I love it. Hopefully I didn't delete it. Anyway, thanks for the super long update… I don't know why I'm typing this out, I'm going to see you today anyway.

**Irgova:** Lol, isn't James supposed to be obsessed? There's got to be a reason he asks her out all randomly in the fifth HP book! And thank you for the "different and funny" comment, that's exactly what I was going for (though my beta suggests we should go more on the different and cut back on the funny, which is what this chapter is).

**Meliara:** I hope you can't review. Because then you can never again review "your story is stupid as all hell." I still hate you for that btw. Not that I was ever mad about it… Oh holy crap Karin is coughing. Now I won't be able to sing at the concert!

**Pokemon Master:** First of all, love the name. Second of all, thank you for taking the time to not only review, but also critique it. Your compliments mean a lot, since that's what I've been trying to go for - ahh that ever evasive canon. As for the sappy romance: well, I'm a sappy romance kind of girl, but I promise there will be plot development and actual things happening besides Lily and James getting together. I would shoot myself if it were otherwise. Hopefully it will be enough of both worlds. Thanks again!

**Annmarie Aspasia:** Nothing bad! WHOOT! I hope that means you have many good things to say. Thanks.


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